Top 10 Defensive Players in Pittsburgh Steelers History

Highlights

• The Pittsburgh Steelers have a rich history of defensive greatness that led to countless Super Bowl wins and Hall of Fame careers.
• The Steelers transcended football and became a pop culture phenomenon in the 1970s.
• One current Steeler is all but guaranteed to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

No franchise in NFL history is more synonymous with defensive grit and greatness than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That notion goes back to when the unit became a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s that included “The Steel Curtain” defensive line, Mel Blount’s weekly wide receiver assaults (which directly led to a rule change), linebacker Jack Lambert’s infamous toothless snarl, and defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene’s iconic Coca-Cola commercials.

But the Steelers’ have been more than just those flash moments in pop culture—they have been defined by decades of defensive greatness and success that’s created a legacy of Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions.

With 10 defensive players enshrined in Canton as Steelers, it’s tough to separate Pittsburgh’s legendary defenders from those that were simply great during their time in the Steel City. Nonetheless, we’ve attempted such an undertaking, so without further ado, here’s a look at the 10 greatest defensive players in Pittsburgh Steelers history:

1 Joe Greene, Defensive Tackle

Forget Aaron Donald … Mean Joe was the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history

The Steelers’ best defensive player of all time has to be defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene, the Steelers’ No. 4 overall pick out of North Texas State in the 1969 NFL Draft. Without Greene, the Steelers as we know them may never have came to be, as he was the draft pick that sparked a run of several epic draft classes for the team over the next half-decade.

Few players in NFL history cut a swatch like Greene, who was a four-time Super Bowl champion, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time NFL All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler, as well as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969. He was the best defensive tackle in the land during an age when defensive tackles dominated the NFL game.

While Greene eventually changed his image entirely, when he first came out there were a few words to describe Greene on the field: surly, annoyed, and violent. If one was to watch any highlight tape of Greene in his early days, it would be all too clear how he got the nickname “Mean Joe”.

Away from the field, Greene was a bona fide celebrity of the highest order thanks to one iconic Coca-Cola commercial — “Hey Kid, Catch!”—that became something people actually said to each other for years and years and served to show people that the big man wasn’t as “Mean” as his football persona made him out to be.

2 Jack Lambert, Linebacker

Lambert anchored the middle of a Steelers defense that featured five Hall of Famers

Lambert was the middle linebacker who anchored the defense for the Steelers alongside fellow Hall of Famers Mean Joe Greene, Donnie Shell, Jack Ham, and Mel Blount.

The Kent State product, drafted in the second round as part of Pittsburgh’s iconic 1974 class, played all 11 of his NFL seasons for the Steelers and was a four-time Super Bowl champion, nine-time Pro Bowler, eight-time NFL All-Pro, and the 1976 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Lambert was viewed as one of the toughest men to ever play the game, famously choosing to play without the dentures that replaced the four front teeth that he lost, resulting in an iconic snarl that struck fear in defenders just as much as the 6’4″ ‘backer’s physical style of play did.

The man didn’t just produce on the field, he was a leader who led by example. Most notably, after Steelers kicker Roy Gerela missed a field goal in Super Bowl 10, Dallas Cowboys safety hugged him and tapped him on the head sarcastically as if to say “thanks for missing another,” to which Lambert responded by grabbing Harris (also a future Hall of Famer) and tossing him to the grass like a rag doll. Unsurprisingly, neither the refs, nor his Cowboys teammates were willing to step in to defend the cheeky safety.

Lambert was also known for his hard-edged, pick-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps mentality. After being penalized for a supposed late hit penalty later in his career, he delivered the infamous “quarterbacks should wear dresses”, line, chiding signal callers for their perceived lack of toughness and coddling treatment by refs compared to other positions.

Since retiring from football, Lambert has lived an intensely private life, rarely making public appearances.

3 Mel Blount, Cornerback

Blount’s size and speed would have made him a star in any era

Blount, 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, would’ve been a dominant cornerback in any era.

One of several HBCU stars to make this list, Blount was drafted in the third round out of Southern in 1970. He was a four-time Super Bowl champion, six-time NFL All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler, and the 1975 NFL Defensive Player of the Year after he led the league with 11 interceptions.

Many defenders nowadays will look upon Blount with reverence, but many a cornerback will also be cursing him every time they’re flagged for a pass interference call down the field. Why? Because Blount was so good at harrying receivers running down the field, the league instituted what is now known as the “Mel Blount Rule” in 1978, which essentially outlawed the “bump-and-run” style he used so effectively. No matter, as Blount adapted and went on to earn three more Pro Bowl nods and three more All-Pro honors after the rule changes.

Blount played all 14 seasons of his NFL career with the Steelers. He was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team and the 1980s All-Decade Team before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989 on the first ballot.

4 Jack Ham, Linebacker

The greatest debate in Steelers history … Ham or Lambert?

Jack Ham’s 53 career takeaways are the most by any non-defensive back in NFL history and at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, he was undersized even for outside linebackers in the 1970s.

Ham played 12 seasons with the Steelers and won four Super Bowls, as well as being an eight-time Pro Bowler and eight-time NFL All-Pro, all of which came between 1973 and 1980. Unsurprisingly, he was named to the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team for that eight-year prime of primes.

Want to start a debate among Steelers’ fans? Ask them who was better … Lambert and his toughness in the middle, or Ham and his seemingly endless tool box? Cue the fireworks.

5 Troy Polamalu, Safety

Polamalu led the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins in 2000s

Troy Polamalu helped lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins and was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. He was also a six-time NFL All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler despite starting in 10+ games in just nine seasons.

He was known not only for his ability to deliver ferocious hits in the secondary and high-flying plays in the backfield, but for his long, curly hair that has kept him flush in endorsement money a decade following his retirement in 2014 thanks to Head & Shoulders. It’s not like he didn’t earn it though: he was yanked down by that flowing mane after an interception on more than one occasion, something that wasn’t even a penalty during his time in the league.

Polamalu is viewed, along with rival Ed Reed, as the preeminent safety of the 21st century, because he could literally do it all. He once had three sacks in a game, he could anticipate a snap and soar over offensive lineman at the line of scrimmage to thwart QB sneaks in a way that will never be replicated, he could deliver seismic blows in the secondary, and he could read quarterbacks as well as anyone, racking up 32 picks across his long and successful career.

The Samoan Spider, Polamalu was just as good in the playoffs as in the regular season, authoring arguably the greatest interception ever during their 2008 Super Bowl run, and putting up the highest-single playoff game PFF score for a defender in the publication’s history in that year’s AFC Championship (96.0), which he walked off for the team with a fourth-quarter pick-six. Polamalu was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, in his first year of eligibility.

6 James Harrison, Linebacker

Harrison went from undrafted to one of the greatest sack artists in NFL history

One of the more improbable success stories in NFL history and the second Kent State linebacker to make this list alongside Lambert, James Harrison spent two seasons on the practice squad and in NFL Europe before finally making the Steelers’ active roster in 2004.

Once there, he was impossible to replace. Harrison won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and made one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history with his 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl 43, an effort that left him sprawled and utterly exhausted in the end zone.

From 2007-2010, no player was more feared across the league—and for good reason. He was one of the most vicious players in NFL history, and once knocked two Cleveland Browns wide receivers unconscious—Mohammed Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs—in a single game in 2010, leading to a dubious Sports Illustrated cover that led to a massive overhaul in the league’s policies concerning hits to the head.

And did we mention that Cribbs was one of Harrison’s college teammates? Brutal.

Not only that, but for those four years, Harrison dominated the league like no other, racking up four straight Pro Bowls, four straight All-Pro nods, and the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year award. He also finished top seven in DPOY voting in two other years (2007 and 2010), and was even fourth in MVP voting following that special 2008 campaign.

While Harrison’s bone-crushing hits are what he’s most known for, his patented strip-sack technique was also a wonder to behold, as his 25 forced fumbles from 2007-2010 represent the most across a four-year span in NFL history. Not to mention that he had 45 sacks over that span, which means about half of his sacks resulted in fumbles as well. That’s a darn good batting average.

7 Rod Woodson, Safety/DB

Woodson holds NFL career record with 12 interceptions returned for touchdowns

What kind of an athlete was Rod Woodson? He went and raced in international track and field competitions in the high hurdlers during a contract holdout after he was selected No. 10 overall out of Purdue in 1987.

Woodson played the first decade of his 17-year career with the Steelers, where he made seven of his eight All-Pro Teams and was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.

There was little Woodson couldn’t do on a football field—he scored 17 career touchdowns and set the NFL record with 12 interception returns for touchdowns. He also had over 7,000 career yards on kickoff and punt returns and his 71 career interceptions are ranked No. 3 in NFL history.

Woodson was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team and is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

8 T.J. Watt, Linebacker

T.J. Watt is on track to be the second member of his family to make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he should join older brother J.J. Watt one day.

Watt the Younger, selected at the end of the first round of the 2017 draft, still has many years in the NFL ahead of him, where he’s been one of the most dominant players in the league over the last decade, including winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021, and there are many that believe he should have won the award in 2020 and 2023 as well.

The Wisconsin man has been in the top three for Defensive Player of the Year voting a whopping four times in the last five years, with his only miss coming in 2022 when he was on the shelf for seven games. Watt hasn’t just been great for this era, he’s already putting up all-time great numbers.

He already has the record for single-season sacks (22.5 in 2021, tied with Michael Strahan), his 94.5 sacks are the second most through a player’s first 103 career games (Reggie White), he is one of just three players to lead the league in sacks in back-to-back years, and is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in that category three different times. Not even big brother J.J. did that.

Watt is also a five-time NFL All-Pro and made the team at both linebacker and edge rusher in 2019. He signed a four-year, $121 million contract extension in September 2021.

9 Donnie Shell, Safety

Shell set the NFL career record for safeties with 51 interceptions

Donnie Shell starred alongside another future Pro Football Hall of Famer in linebacker Harry Carson at South Carolina State before making the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1974, where he partnered up with four more Hall of Famers.

Shell spent all 14 seasons of his career with the Steelers, winning four Super Bowls and setting the NFL career record for strong safeties with 51 interceptions—he also had an incredible 19 fumble recoveries, which is tied for sixth all-time among safeties.

He was a five-time Pro Bowler as well, with all five came consecutively between 1978-1982, and a four-time All-Pro, which came all in a row from 1979-1982. Shell has also played more games for the Steelers than any other defensive player, as his 201 appearances rank fourth on the franchise’s all-time list, behind only Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and Mike Webster.

10 L.C. Greenwood, Defensive End

Greenwood was a four-time Super Bowl champion and was at his best in big games

L.C. Greenwood was at his best in the biggest games—a reputation that’s endured over 40 years since he played his final NFL contest.

Greenwood playing next to “Mean” Joe Greene on the defensive line was an almost unstoppable combination, and when the Super Bowl was on the line, it was Greenwood who became the Steel Curtain’s best player.

In Super Bowl 9, Greenwood had two batted passes against the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Fran Tarkenton and, one year later, he sacked Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach four times in Super Bowl 10. Greenwood was a four-time Super Bowl champion, two-time NFL All-Pro, and six-time Pro Bowler.

Greenwood, who was known for his stylish gold shoes and rec specs as much as his graceful play on the field, was a massive man (6’6″, 245 pounds) who loved massive moments:

• His four-sack performance in 1975 is still a single-Super Bowl record
• His 5.0 total sacks in the Super Bowl are an NFL record
• His 5.0 sacks during the entire 1975 playoff run rank fourth all-time for a single postseason
• His 12.5 career playoff sacks are tied for fifth all-time

Greenwood died in 2013 at 67 years old, and if any member of the Steel Curtain defensive line deserves to join Mean Joe in Canton, it’s Greenwood, who still has a chance at enshrinement as a senior inductee.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise. All salary info via Spotrac.